Guild Wars 2

Anyone find Ring of Warding on the Hammer to be lacking?

It’s easy to dodge and you have to be stationary in order to cast it (which sometimes means missing your target completely) . Some of you may suggest using Judge’s Intervention but why do we have to waste a utility slot just to land a Weapon Skill? I’d rather not.

1) We should be allowed to move while casting.

or

2) Give us stability if we’re inside the Ring.

Makes the skill a lot more useful, just saiyan~

No, it does not.
People don’t seem to realize the power that comes from our Line/Ring of Warding.

The main problem I see with Ring of Warding is the immobility you have during the cast time.
All too often, the target you’re on will slip out of it before you finish casting. You practically need to be ahead of a runner to snag them, which will also fail if they just stop or step to the side.

Hammer’s got no real closers on its own. It’s a pain that this ability, which is so good for maintaining melee range on someone you’ve managed to get on top of, is so finicky to land consistently.

Here’s a little trick I’ve learned that is pretty useful in WvWvW if you’re looking for a quick kill. Target an enemy you want to kill, cast Ring of Warding and then instantly cast Judge’s Intervention. If you timed it correctly, you’ll teleport right next to your target and your Ring of Warding will be up, trapping your target within.

Now if only ANet fixes that “dodge out of Ring of Warding” bug or mechanic…

@Kiijj
If you read my post, you wouldn’t be mentioning Judge’s Intervention at all. I know the trick exists, I’ve used it and it is nice, but I’d rather not waste a Utility Slot for a mediocre movement skill.

@Ynna
I know how to use it and appreciate it, but it doesn’t change the fact that it’s still lacking. The skill is on a high cooldown, it’s very situational (mostly for PvP), and it’s easily dodgeable.

I think RoW does lack something. It has great things about it, but it’s still an attack that requires standing still, significant execution time and deals no damage. If it’s duration was extended another 5 seconds, it would be enough for me.

@Endu
Gotcha, and yes I agree that RoW being castable while moving would make this skill much better. That or make it instant cast.

Oh definitely kiijj, insta cast would make it so great! I’m not even joking. It just surprises the kitten out of people

Both wards would be benefited by a trait modifier; I personally would love for a ward crossing to either cripple, kd, or freeze an enemy. Mostly the freeze, just because you can’t resist it.

And I second casting either ward on the move. For being such a mobile class, it’s quite odd to have a standing-still cast for a vital skill.

RoW requires skill and timing to pull off successfully. The effects on the player who is stuck inside this without stability or escape mechanisms are devastating as all it takes for them to fall over once and the fight goes in your favour. I think having to stand still is ok for the moment as getting someone stuck inside the ring basically gives the guardian a chance to chain attack with Hammer #2 Then #4, after they bounce off the ring, #3 and even #1 again.

doesn’t work well with latency, you miss every time and immobilise yourself while casting

IV Endu.8920:

Some of you may suggest using Judge’s Intervention but why do we have to waste a utility slot just to land a Weapon Skill? I’d rather not.

Ah, but Hammer 3 is a snare with 1200 range and it isn’t on a utility slot. Yes it’s 2 seconds, but more often than not, it’s enough time to catch up.

I really wish people couldn’t dodge out of or past our Wardings.

let’s hope they do fix the dodging out of the ring. better yet, let’s keep it hush hush for those who don’t know about that yet. :ppp

as for RoW, i find it quite useful but i do agree being planted to cast it OR the long cast time has to go. i can’t decide which would be more beneficial.. probably insta-cast though. with the long casting, if players know what’s coming, even if you are mobile, they could either interupt if you don’t have stability, or simply dodge / escape when it’s about to be cast.

though i have to say, once you have your opponent trapped, it’s awesome!D
another way to use it is if you see someone coming at you, cast it, they run into it fall. you can either dodgeroll towards them or mighty blow to them, then quicly #4 them into the ring. fall again. by the time they realize what happend, they’ll be done for.

for something that people can simply dodge through; yes i agree its lacking.

I do all this effort just to catch someone inside and see him dive through it.

To be honest I want skills that work based on your skill, not based on the opponents lack thereof (in this case it works against people who do not know how its as simple as dodgerolling through it)

I understand its because theres evasion/invicibility in a dodge roll and that causes the immunity to the knockdown. In that case just make it so i can cast Line or Ring of warding on the move or have it be instant/quick cast time.

This skill needs a huge buff. I am not sure what exactly though. Bigger ring? Shorter cool down? Applies conditions/boons to those inside?

Endu:

JI a mediocre movement skill? Judge’s Intervention is arguably (read: arguably)Guardian’s best utility skill. Equipping it and calling it a wasted slot is just wrong. It’s ok if it doesn’t ‘fit’ your build, but let’s keep things in perspective.

Possibly he meant it was mediocre to “waste” JI just to get an effective cast of RoW. I love JI too, especially because it breaks altered states like knockdown and fear. ( ever been thwacked across the map by another hammer wielder only to explode instantly back in their face? )

I don’t think the skill needs a buff of any kind. Good placement of it requires skill and foresight.
I do think there’s a general issue with our Wards. Being able to dodge through it shouldn’t be possible (or is this intended)? I’m okay that people with Stability can cross it, but it would be cool if Stability only stopped the knockdown.

Judge’s Intervention a mediocre movement skill? Judge’s Intervention is arguably (read: arguably)Guardian’s best utility skill. Equipping it and calling it a wasted slot is just wrong. It’s OK if it doesn’t ‘fit’ your build, but let’s keep things in perspective.

I agree. I weep every time it doesn’t fit in my build (and since I play very defensive builds, that happens very often).

I love ring of warding. Love it.

It has so much utility it’s just… awesome.

yes, it can be avoided by people who are paying attention, but if used correctly, it’s a great way to make people blow thier stability / dodge and leave them open for something that’s going to hurt a whole lot more.

Chage the way you use it and you might see that you begin to like it more: It’s not, I do this and expect this to happen, but rather I do this and expect this to happen in 2 moves.

In theory and functionality it should be really good, but then after using it you realize it’s not.

In PvE it’s fine because simply mobs don’t have brains or endurance bars, etc..
But as soon as you try it out in PvP, that’s a whole different story.

Not only is the cast time very long with a noticeable animation, but the skill is pretty much 100% useless unless you’re using JudgeIntervention. Even when standing on top of someone, if they are moving, they will get out of the ring no problem. Now consider it does absolutely no damage, and only lasts for a measly 4(?) or 5 seconds, you really think was casting it even worth it, or should I have just Mighty Blowed that guy for 4K.

Let’s not talk about dodging, jumping, popping stability, or even getting knocked out of the ring. Because all of that detracts from it’s usefulness as well.

Not only is the cast time very long with a noticeable animation, but the skill is pretty much 100% useless unless you’re using JudgeIntervention. Even when standing on top of someone, if they are moving, they will get out of the ring no problem. Now consider it does absolutely no damage, and only lasts for a measly 4(?) or 5 seconds, you really think was casting it even worth it, or should I have just Mighty Blowed that guy for 4K.

100% useless without JI is a far statement to make and completely false imo. There are other methods to guarantee RoW a more solid success rate. #3 is also a good option which I hated at first but love it now.

And for the love of our children, don’t treat RoW as something you only use to trap people. You can use it to keep people out of nodes, defend downed friends and trebuches. A knock down while in the middle of fight on a node usually means death in group situations. And last time i remembered, you do not need JI for these type of situations.

Zeke Minus.5720:

I really wish people couldn’t dodge out of or past our Wardings.

This a million times. I thought once that “Oh its a mechanic limitation” but its not! There are traps in dungeons, most notably HotW that will knock you back regardless if you dodgeroll on it or not. Why this mechanic isn’t given to our Wardings infuriates me. If my Line of Warding is going to have a 32 second cooldown, I want it to be useful!

Polle.6908:

Not only is the cast time very long with a noticeable animation, but the skill is pretty much 100% useless unless you’re using JudgeIntervention. Even when standing on top of someone, if they are moving, they will get out of the ring no problem. Now consider it does absolutely no damage, and only lasts for a measly 4(?) or 5 seconds, you really think was casting it even worth it, or should I have just Mighty Blowed that guy for 4K.

100% useless without JI is a far statement to make and completely false imo. There are other methods to guarantee RoW a more solid success rate. #3 is also a good option which I hated at first but love it now.

And for the love of our children, don’t treat RoW as something you only use to trap people. You can use it to keep people out of nodes, defend downed friends and trebuches. A knock down while in the middle of fight on a node usually means death in group situations. And last time i remembered, you do not need JI for these type of situations.

Sorry but Zealots Embrace is anything but effective. A slow traveling immobilize that has a success rate of 50%? And you realize the 2 seconds of immobilize is OVER if you are not already on top of them, and now you are stuck standing still casting RoW. Isn’t gonna work.

Sorry but Zealots Embrace is anything but effective. A slow traveling immobilize that has a success rate of 50%? And you realize the 2 seconds of immobilize is OVER if you are not already on top of them, and now you are stuck standing still casting RoW. Isn’t gonna work.

The ranged attack is only a bonus and should not be relied on. Like the symbol on the third attack you should be running into the enemy mid cast, not run up to him them then cast. It makes your attacks less prone to be dodged and the 2seconds is more than enough to pull RoW off.

I can have a discussion with you all day how to use ZE more effectively though you’re more willing to pass it off as a dead fish, which is fine by me. I’m not denying that they’re difficult to pull off at times especially against very good players but this is more of a learn to play issue than anything else. Results don’t come straight out of the box and they shouldn’t.

And before we get into an arguement about gap closers and cripples, the guardian is boon oriented so use those speed buffs to your advantage.

You really can’t try and say ZE is as effective as other immobilizes. I’m inclined to say it’s probably the weakest one in the game. In terms of travel speed, graphic warning, cast time, and immobilize duration. If you can’t realize this fact, I think you may just be beyond help.

Sure, Guardian is boon oriented. But we’re not the only ones. Besides mesmers we are one of the most movement-hindered professions in the game. And remember, swiftness isn’t going to help you stay in melee range with someone else who has swiftness as well. You just won’t be losing ground (unless that person cripples you as well xD)

can’t quote but @Amins brought up a good point. never feel it’s waste. true, it might not be what you intended, but if they used stability or dodge to avoid the RoW, you can better plan your next attack and make sure it’ll hurt them DOUBLE.

I didn’t read through all this, I just wanted to say that a skill that makes people continually fall over due to their own lack of paying attention is a winner in my books.

@Silver: Any skill that’s primarily a punishment for stupid people is a win!
Maybe I should start a Mesmer

I really love RoW. The cast time takes some getting used too, but the utility it offers is nothing short of amazing.

One of my favorite tactics is to knock someone into a wall, and then place RoW so that they are trapped between the wall and the outside of the ring. Even if they dodge through it, they are now IN it.

You can use it to protect allies, choke points, trap enemies, provide a few seconds of relief, to provide a nice long Light Field. It is a very powerful ability.

“Oh no, this Guardian trapped me in a ring! Dodge Oh, wait, no he didn’t…”

Ring of Warding is really only good for Banish smacking someone into it for a short knockdown.

I’m confused because I’ve seen people walk into it, fall over, try to dodge out of it, fall over, try to dodge again and fall over again. Meanwhile they’re sitting in my symbol with me smashing them. It works more often than not for me.

The only bad thing about the skill is… people can dodge out of it seems to be a bug to me though

andybmcc.8751:

“Oh no, this Guardian trapped me in a ring! Dodge Oh, wait, no he didn’t…”

Ring of Warding is really only good for Banish smacking someone into it for a short knockdown.

The player isn’t invulnerable immediately when they dodge. There is a warm up, and that’s when they’re being affected by the ring.

Nirvash.3018:

The only bad thing about the skill is… people can dodge out of it seems to be a bug to me though

Timing is everything my friend. In my current play style i usually have most enemies out of endurance fairly quickly. Start casting it along with judges intervention, or if it’s down nail them with the short CD 1200 range immobilize. Works really well for me.

You could also try getting it down then immediately using Hammer 4 to knock them against it for a nice knockdown.

When you can’t use your skills effectively and you just cast them, they all seems tupid. Learning, my friend. See advantages, try to use it when some big nasty troll is coming to you, not when 5 bandits jump around you. Also, try to pair it with some combo finishers.